"Machete Kills": Violent, sexist, misogynistic... and proud of it

LOS ANGELES – It's everything that prompts parents to cover their kids eyes and ears: gun violence, stabbings, explosions, bullets spurting from Sophia Vergara's metal bra. And in the wake of several mass shootings, many have questioned the impact violent entertainment has on people. But the cast of Robert Rodriguez's "Machete Kills" say their movie is all good, albeit bloody, fun.

"(I don't really care for the criticism) and it doesn't seem to count too much," Mel Gibson told FOX411. "They have an opinion and I suppose that is valid, for them... But this (film) was fun, like a party. This is exploitation, it is shameless and hilarious. It's tongue-in-cheek."

Leading man Danny Trejo happily agreed with those who call the film violent and misogynistic.

"They're right. If you are coming to see 'The Little Mermaid' than don't come because this is a movie that likes action," he said. "We aren't watered down. But no matter how much violence is in this, you are going to laugh because Robert makes this funny."

Alexa Vega was also quick to defend the flick.

"You have to have a chemical imbalance going on somewhere in your brain to go out and do those kinds of things. My fiancé and I will sit there and play those shooting games and we are not going to go off and do something crazy, so I feel like if you are a normal, sane person than you will be fine," she insisted, adding that the film is merely fun and that they aren't taking themselves seriously.

"If someone is taking this movie seriously than they really are missing the idea. My character's name is Killjoy, I'm a hit woman," she continued. "But for me, it was very empowering. I have never played a role like this. I have always played kind of younger, so to be able to go and wear the outfits that we did and run around and do the stunts we did, I felt very empowered and was pushed to a level I have never had to go to before... So for me, I felt like I was growing in a good way."

But Rodriguez admitted that while his films have always been pretty out there, he hasn't suffered the same wrath as the likes of Quentin Tarantino who came under particular fire last year with "Django Unchained."

"I kind of get away with it," he added. "It's painted with an exaggerated brush. It's the tone, tone is so important."

Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay